The Intro

​We can always sense when fall is in full swing when the familiar honking of geese is high in the sky as they sail south. The miracle of migration happens twice every year bringing birds to and from their homes for the season. Once, when the days get longer and the weather starts warming up, signaling the move north. Again, when the days get shorter and the young birds fly on newly feathered wings to warmer southern climates. In North America, there are four flyways that follow major landscape dividers. The Atlantic flyway captures the birds east of Hudson’s Bay and follows the coast south to Florida and beyond. The Second is the Mississippi Flyway which handles a great deal of birds from the arctic and along the western edge of the Hudson’s Bay and down the Mississippi River Valley and out across the Gulf of Mexico. The third is the Central Flyway which follows along the eastern edge of the Rockies south towards the Texas Panhandle and into Mexico’s East Coast. The Flyway that I am most familiar with is the Pacific Flyway. These are all the birds that live in Alaska and head south picking up and dropping off the birds that live in British Columbia, Washington, Oregon and California. We are going to have a look at the Pacific Flyway in a little more detail.

The Layovers

​The Pacific flyway is the coastal highway for birds to head south from as far north as the Arctic Ocean to the tip of South America. Some of those birds even summer on the Russian tundra preferring the North American route rather than use the East Asian-Australian Flyway. Some believe that birds use these overly long routes having more to do with which continent the birds originally evolved on, opting out of the shorter flight due to instinct. Along the way there are several important areas that are used by millions of birds as a proverbial layover. Typically those areas are shallow and sheltered bays, the large river deltas and fertile valleys. Each of these allows for feeding and safe resting spots to be able to recharge energy stores for the remainder of the journey. Some of the more notable locations are the Fraser River Delta which flows through the Metropolis of Vancouver, BC. The next large location heading south is the flat lands of the Puget Sound where folks from Seattle call home. After that, the largest of the locations for wintering waterfowl is the massive San Joaquin and Sacramento Valleys in the center of California’s bread basket. Located in the middle of the Valley but slightly west is the San Francisco Bay which is where many of the bay ducks and ocean denizens like grebes and loons stop. Even further south is the Salton Sea which is inland but makes for a great wintering ground for even seabirds and waders. Many of the birds heading south have peeled off at these different locations for the winter, but many more make the journey south to the Amazon or even on to Patagonia in the southern extremities of South America.

The Birds

​The migration of millions of individuals along the Pacific include hundreds of bird species. Most noticeable and iconic are the ducks and geese in their flying “V” formations. A good deal of these birds winter in North America depending on where their parents had overwintered. Most of these waterfowl look for marshland or farmland by the thousands to find food and suitable habitat. There are some that require open water during the winter months and because the ocean tends not to freeze anywhere south of Alaska, you can find this group of birds strung out along the coast from one end of the continent to the other. These birds can include the gulls, grebes, loons, waterfowl, sandpipers, falcons and some raptors. The other main groups of migrating birds are raptors, doves, hummingbirds, songbirds which a good many of them clear the US border all together when wintering and head for tropical weather. There are always the ones that prefer a chilly morning like the Yellow-rumped Warbler which stays further north than the rest of their warbler cousins, but most are looking for that reliable warm temperature that the equator offers. The issue of everyone moving into the same neighborhood for the winter is a large increase in competition. That would be like two families showing up at your house with suitcases in hand, announcing that they are there for 4 months because their house is uninhabitable because it is under 10 feet of snow. It tends to get a bit crowded! Snowbirds, you know what I mean.

The Tug of War

​As you may have noticed, when I was listing off the locations to the main stop overs, humans have taken a shine to the very same locations, building massive communities throughout. These include but are not limited to Vancouver, Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Sacramento and San Diego. All of these communities have been built in those locations for mostly the same reasons. The food is plentiful, the water is not frozen in the winter, shelter is easier to come by and there is safety in numbers. All of which makes these locations the perfect place to be if you are human or bird. Because we covet the marshlands for growing our food, we drain the water out and turn what was wetland into usable farmland. Because we don’t like water flooding into our basements in the late spring, we dyke all of our rivers to ensure they head straight to the ocean taking along with them the nutrients that have made these areas so fertile. Because it is very hard to build a shopping center around a forest of trees, we clear the lumber and put up a parking lot. Please don’t mistake my tongue in cheek comments for a dislike of people and their needs. I live in one of those migration layover locations and my family and I have certain requirements. I much prefer my veggies are grown locally as this is the new trend to cut our global footprint but this puts a vote up for more farmland in my area. I certainly don’t want to have to restore my basement every year when the river water rises as these flood waters in my basement will cause health hazards for my family. I use the mall just as much as the next guy to buy food, clothes, even my birding gear. My point and what I do suggest is……….. if we have a choice, we make the choice which takes into account our migrating neighbors needs as well. This could include buying produce from farms that are set up to make it the perfect place for birds in the off season.

The Safekeeping

There are several groups that are putting their efforts into protecting these corridors, including specialized groups just working on the Pacific Flyway. There are government agencies and municipalities that have joined in the effort to protect what precious land we have left for these birds to rest and refuel for a short stop or make it home for the winter. Ducks Unlimited has done a wonderful job of obtaining and restoring wetlands to ensure there is plenty of habitat for waterfowl. Their tell tale duck profile shows up on many a trailhead through wetlands all over North America. There is also Audubon who has several projects in relation to the Pacific Flyway including the California Working Lands project which allows for farmers to use bird friendly approaches to crop management. This kind of planning protect birds like the Long-billed Curlew and the Tri-colored Blackbird which are both endangered. There is also The Pacific Flyway Council which is put together from states and provinces from Canada, USA and Mexico. This council is responsible for setting policy and regulations based on scientific advice brought forward by biologists and ecologists from each country. If you are interested in getting involved with any of the groups here, all you have to do is follow the links, or………. do your own thing and search the web for Flyway Conservation “your city here” for the project closest to you. Check out this link for Birds on the Bay as this was what I came up with when I Googled Flyway Conservation for my home town.

I wanted to share a little story of the owl that proudly sits on my front page and now use as my avatar on the bird blogger. ​After excitedly finding and photographing the migrating Burrowing Owl, I went online and entered in the information on the bands found on this owls legs at this North American reporting site. A week later, I had a response about where this male was from. I even received a response from the bander asking where I had seen him along with some other particulars and to see the photos and video I took. There is a particular satisfaction you get from being a citizen scientist and finding out where this rare owl had been earlier in the summer and to know he had made the journey several seasons in a row. The whole experience truly amazing and I felt like I should help the organization with the good work of repopulating the once decimated Burrowing Owl population by choosing to donate some money. I would appreciate it if you would have a look at the work these folks at Burrowing Owl Conservation Society of BC are doing as well. The entire reason The Bird Blogger was brought into existance is to open a conduit to help save critical habitat for birds. ​After you have found a site, come back and let us know where you might be donating some hard won dollars or volunteering some time in your community!

The Finish

Birds have figured out long ago how to beat cold brutal winters. Fly south young Bird……. OK, that was cheesy, but you get the idea. Along the Pacific Coast of North, Central and South America there is a corridor that birds use to fly there and back from breeding grounds to wintering grounds. It is a long journey and for some, it is a journey of epic proportions. A stop here and there is a must to refuel and rest for the next leg. Some of these locations are growing smaller every year due to the needs of humans who have found the same rest stops to be wonderful places to sustain ourselves and our families. Our worlds sometime collide, but with some help and forethought, we can cohabitate, even benefit from a mutual relationship. So the next time you see a “V” formation headed south for the winter, think of all the birds you don't see that make the trip and how you might be able to help them out on their long journey. They just might be the one that makes it back to get their picture on a blog.

Mary Moeller

11/15/2015 12:28:51 pm

Thank you for the brilliant writing! One of the best, most comprehensive pieces I've read about bird migration.

Mary, I appreciate the kind words. That is very kind of you. If you could pass the blog along, I would so thankful.

Sharyn Viel

11/16/2015 08:25:15 am

Not to forget the beautiful willamette valley from sauvie island to Baskett Slough & Ankeny & Findley NWRs; but must give a shout out to the marvelous sonny bono salton sea NWR as a real jewel & yes, we sid see long billed curl👏👏👍

Thank you for mentioning these wildlife reserves as well. There are hundreds of parks and reserves that I didn't mention, but more importantly, thousands of areas that aren't protected. You can't ask to bubble wrap all of the wild areas, but we can do our part to keep them healthy.